RAIPUR: Citing the judicial commission’s encounter report leak to the media as contempt of the House, the opposition BJP on Monday sought to move a breach of privilege notice against the chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and the General Administration Department’s (GAD) secretary.
The report of a commission investigated an alleged encounter in 2012 at Sarkeguda in south Bastar’s Bijapur where 17 people including seven minors were killed.
The chief minister tabled the report of the judicial enquiry on the encounter in the Assembly following which the former chief minister Raman Singh stated that the finding of the panel ha already been leaked in the media.
“How can such an important report be leaked while the Assembly is in session? We all area getting to know bout it from newspapers. Members of this House should have been informed about it”, he said.
Accusing the chief minister of disregarding the House, Singh asserted that this amounts to a breach of privilege of members and the contempt of the House.
The BJP national vice president moved a breach of privilege notice against Baghel and the GAD’s secretary demanding discussion over it.
While the BJP protest were continuing the state Congress president sought a discussion on the findings of the report that indicted security forces for opening fire on innocent villagers that occurred during the intervening night of June 28-29 between Sarkeguda (Bijapur) and Silger and Chilmlipenda villagers (bordering Sukma).
Despite the Speaker assuring that the matter is under consideration of Speaker, the opposition continued with the ruckus.
The one-man commission headed by former Madhya Pradesh high court judge Justice V K Agrawal had submitted its finding to Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government about a month ago. On Sunday the leaked report stated 'the Commission in its finding had indicted security forces saying that was no proof of villagers firing on the troopers not that they are Maoist cadres'.
Security forces (a team of CRPF and Chhattisgarh police) then claimed that they had an exchange of fire with the Maoists during their operation based on the inputs about the presence of Maoists close to Sarkeguda.
The Commission report pointed out that the police investigation into this incident is manipulated and dishonest and that there is no evidence to show that any of the deceased or injured villagers was a Maoist.
The report concluded that the security forces opened fire unilaterally on the meeting of villagers from close pockets, killing and injuring many of them but there was no firing by the members attending the meeting.